Almaden is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Shire of Mareeba The Shire of Mareeba is a local government area at the base of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, inland from Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mareeba, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity f ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Almaden had a population of 71 people.

Geography

Almaden is on the Mareeba-to-Chillagoe railway line (part of the

Tablelands railway line The Tablelands railway line is a railway line in North Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1887 and 1916. It commences at Cairns and at its maximum extent, reached Ravenshoe at the southern end of the A ...

) which runs between

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

and the mining and cattle town of

Mungana Mungana is part of the rural locality of Chillagoe, north Queensland, Australia and a former mining township in its own right. It is within the local government area of Shire of Mareeba (between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Regio ...

. Almaden railway station serves the town (). The

Etheridge railway line Etheridge railway line is a heritage-listed railway line between Mount Surprise and Forsayth, both in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. It includes Mount Surprise railway station, Einasleigh railway station, Wirra Wirra railwa ...

branches off at Almdaden towards Forsayth, with Ootann railway station, in the south of the locality of Almaden (). The

Burke Developmental Road The Burke Developmental Road is a Queensland (Australia) developmental road. It links Cloncurry and Normanton in a south–north direction, then turns to the north-east north of Normanton for before turning south-east till Dimbulah, where it ...

passes through from east to north-west.

Ootann Road Ootann Road is a continuous road route in the Mareeba and Tablelands local government areas of Queensland, Australia. It is a north-south link between the Burke Developmental Road and the Kennedy Highway, servicing a number of cattle grazin ...

exits to the south.

History

The town is named after the town of

Almadén Almadén () is a town and municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 300 ...

in Cuidad Real Province, Spain, which is known for its mercury mine. The mineral deposits in Queensland's Almaden are

tripolite Diatomaceous earth (), diatomite (), or kieselgur/kieselguhr is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from more than 3 μm to le ...

(

diatomite Diatomaceous earth (), diatomite (), or kieselgur/kieselguhr is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from more than 3 μm to le ...

). Tate Tin Mines Provisional School opened on 17 October 1894. On 1 January 1909 it became Tate Tin Mines State School. It closed on 31 Jan 1924 but reopened on 3 February 1930. It closed permanently on 31 December 1940. Almaden Provisional School opened on 6 July 1906 on a site. On 1 January 1909 it became Almaden State School. It closed on 12 December 1997. It was at 22 Almaden Second Street (). It is now a tourist park. Ootann Provisional School opened on 23 May 1929 and closed circa 1933. In the ,the locality of Almaden had a population of 71 people.

Education

There are no schools in Almaden. The nearest government primary school is Chillagoe State School in neighbouring

Chillagoe Chillagoe is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Chillagoe had a population of 251 people. It was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but is now reduced to a small z ...

to the north-west. The nearest secondary school is Dimbulah State School (to Year 10) in

Dimbulah Dimbulah is a town and locality in Far North Queensland, Australia, from Cairns by road, on the Atherton Tableland. It is within the local government area of Shire of Mareeba (between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region). In ...

to the north-west. For secondary education to Year 12, the options are distance education and boarding schools.

Attractions

The town is an overnight stop for the

Savannahlander The Savannahlander is an Australian passenger train service (primarily serving tourists) that operates in Far North Queensland. It travels on the Tablelands railway line and the Etheridge railway line from the coastal city of Cairns to Forsay ...

which operates twice weekly between

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

and Forsayth.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Queensland Shire of Mareeba Localities in Queensland